U Square @ the Loop Finally Open

U Square @ the Loop, the largest local project besides The Banks to break ground since the recession, is finally finished. The $78 million development opened on Thursday, August 22. UC President Santa Ono, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, CHCURC Director Matt Bourgeois, Uptown Consortium CEO Beth Robinson, Al. Neyer Executive Vice President Jim Neyer and many others were present at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

U Square @ the Loop, the largest local project besides The Banks to break ground since the recession, is finally finished. The $78 million development opened on Aug. 22. UC President Santa Ono, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, CHCURC Director Matt Bourgeois, Uptown Consortium CEO Beth Robinson, Al Neyer Executive Vice President Jim Neyer and many others were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The LEED certified project is a joint venture between Al Neyer and Towne Properties LLC. U Square @ the Loop was developed on a 4.2-acre strip of land between McMillan Avenue and Calhoun Street, just south of the University of Cincinnati. It features 80,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, 161 apartments, a community green and two structured parking garages with more than 700 spaces. There is also space reserved for a future hotel. When the project broke ground in January 2012, plans also called for the construction of a 100 to 110 room hotel.

The apartments at U Square @ the Loop range from studios to two bedrooms. According to the development’s website, rents range from $695 to $1,800 per month. Amenities include a clubroom, a fitness center, outdoor terraces and more. Apartments for low-income tenants are also available.

The retail portion of the project features such tenants as Starbucks, Chase, Elephant Walk Injera & Curry House, DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines, Firehouse Subs or Great Clips. At first, the developers hired Cassidy Turley to lease the retail space. However, about a month before the start of construction, they decided to sign a new contract with Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate Inc. because they wanted national apparel tenants at the project.